


A Run-In with the Shinsengumi

by tattoosanta



Series: Alternate Universes [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: AU, Edo Era!AU, Edo Period, F/M, Gen, Kitsune People, M/M, Samurai, Shinsengumi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-02-11 16:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2075751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattoosanta/pseuds/tattoosanta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko Tetsuya was looking for his friend in Edo when he saw an unfortunate sight. It leads to a meeting with a terrifying leader of an even more terrifying organization. </p><p>(Very loosely based off of Hakuouki. I am really bad at naming things and writing summaries.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unfortunate Sight to Behold

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is being written as I think of ideas for it. If it's not updated for a few... Months, then you know why.

Kuroko looked out the window of his house, sighing deeply. His close friend had been gone for months now. At first he had sent letters, but as time went on the letters came in less and less often and gave less and less information. Soon, they stopped all together. It had been a month since Kuroko had last received a letter, and he had begun to worry. 

"It's unlike Kagami-kun to stop sending me letters like this..." He muttered, looking down at the scroll on his desk. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "I hope he's alright." He stayed as he was for a moment before rising from his desk and closing the window. "Perhaps I should go find him." He dusted himself off and went into the kitchen. "He told me to wait for him here, but it's been seven months." He argued with himself for a while as he began to prepare something for his supper. 

"I should just go." He finally decided with a slight nod as he finished preparing the rice and soup. He put the pots on the counter beside the burners and took his small supper to the dinner table. "It's been too long since Kagami-kun left, and he promised he would be back in four months." He sighed quietly and began to eat, occasionally looking out the window at the falling sakura blossoms. "Another lovely spring." He smiled softly and stood up, washing his dishes and putting everything away. "It's not late, maybe I should go now." He looked out the window once more, watching the sun as it neared the top of the mountain. 

"If I'm going to leave, I had better leave now." Kuroko sighed and turned to go back up to his room. He changed out of his yukata into his travelling clothes and tied his hair back into a ponytail. He pulled his katana out of the back of the closet and settled it on his left side. Once he had that, he grabbed a sack and packed essentials in it, slinging it on his back. "There, I should go now." He wrote a quick note to Kagami, then returned downstairs and took off his slippers, putting on his sandals instead.

He stood and turned to look at the quiet, empty house. "I should go now, it will be dark soon." He sighed and slid open the door, stepping outside into the cool evening air. He closed the door behind him and turned to the path toward Edo, where, in theory, he should find Kagami. He straightened his clothes slightly and set off toward the city, walking briskly as to make as much progress as possible. 

Kuroko walked until it was too dark to see. He stopped in a small town and stayed in an inn. He slept until morning, paid the fee, and set off on his way once more. He pulled the map he packed out of his sack and checked to make sure he was still going in the right direction. "It should only take me the rest of today to reach Edo." He nodded and folded the map back up, gently stuffing it into his sack again. 

He picked up the bag and put it on his back, beginning to walk again. He hummed quietly as he walked to pass the time. Occasionally, he would stop to help a random traveler or speak with a local to ask directions, but he was mostly alone in his travels. 

It took until dusk of that day for Kuroko to reach Edo, and by then he was tired enough to fall asleep where he stood. The city around him still seemed to be alive, though, as people were bustling about and talking energetically - it was hard not to feel energetic being around all these people. The blue haired man looked around the street, trying to find an inn to stay at. "No luck..." He sighed and started to walk, gently pushing his way past people. It wasn't all that hard, since nobody seemed to notice him anyway. 

He came out of the crowd in a dimly lit, quiet, alleyway. "This is... A bit unsettling." He frowned slightly, but continued on. He kept his hand on the hilt of his katana just in case he ran into some thug. Kuroko had no real training with a sword, but could defend himself should he need to. He walked around for a little bit before finding a shabby looking store. 

"Thief!" A voice yelled from inside. A man in a blue coat ran out laughing. He had white hair and blood red eyes. His laugh was hollow and bone chilling, and it made Kuroko shiver. "Stop him!" 

'I should do something about that man.' Kuroko paused for a moment, then chased after the man with the white hair. "Stop!" He yelled after the man as he rounded the corner. He came skidding to a stop as a sword blade was pointed at him. It was that man with the red eyes. "....!" He backed up a step, unsure if the man was looking at him or at something beyond him; he did have quite a lack of presence. 

"Hya-hahahaha!" The man laughed again and charged, shoving his sword into a man who had been standing beside Kuroko. He ripped the blade out of the body and jumped on the corpse, sucking the blood from the man. 

Kuroko had unknowingly shut his eyes, anticipating being the one on the end of the insane man's blade. He heard a scream that sounded much like the crazed man's voice and cracked his eyes open. The man's back was slowly being stained in blood, and a man about his height with strikingly bright red hair stood a small distance away. 

"How bothersome..." The redhead muttered, shaking his head. "I told Shintarou it didn't work correctly." He paused for a moment, feeling eyes on him, and turned to face Kuroko, pointing his sword at his throat. "You there, you saw this?" 

Kuroko froze. Did he lie and face death, or risk getting killed for telling the truth? "...Y-Yes." He finally stammered out, leaning back slightly from the point of the blade. "I saw it." He repeated, a little more confident this time. The smell of blood was getting overwhelming, and he felt like he might pass out. "Are you going to kill me?" 

"...No, not yet." The other man shook his head and sheathed his sword. "But I will have to make you come with me. You saw an unfortunate event, and should you feel the need to tell anyone, it could get me in a lot of trouble. Subsequently, that would get you killed, and I don't think you want that." He smiled, though there was no emotion in the gesture. 

Kuroko felt his consciousness begin to fade. "Ah..." He couldn't get much else out before falling unconscious.


	2. Unhelpful Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko meets the redhead's friends. 
> 
> (Why am I so bad at this)

When Kuroko woke up next, he felt rope around his ankles and wrists, as well as on his mouth. It sent him into a bit of a panic - not that he could move much anyway. He could hear footsteps coming closer and a few people talking outside the room. He tried to calm his breathing as he waited for the door to open. 

When it finally did, a girl with pink hair and fox ears entered the room. "Akashi-san always goes to such extremes when meeting new people..." She sighed and knelt down in front of Kuroko, a gentle smile on her face. "I apologize for Akashi-san's lack of finesse." She untied his mouth and legs. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to keep your wrists as they are until we figure out what to do with you." She stood up and helped Kuroko sit. "By the way, my name is Momoi Satsuki, pleasure to meet you." 

Kuroko nodded. "If it had been under different circumstances; I would say the same, Momoi-san." He replied quietly. He allowed her to help him stand and lead him out of the room. "What's going to happen to me?" 

"We're going to find out." Momoi smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Akashi-san won't do anything to you so long as you don't do anything that angers him." She pat his back gently as they entered a large room where Akashi was sitting. "I brought him." 

"Good, find a seat." The redhead ordered. He seemed to be the one Momoi was referring to as Akashi. His cold stare bore into Kuroko until he finally sat down, and even then he was unnerved by the man's demeanor. "You're the one who saw what happened last night, correct?" 

Kuroko was silent for a moment. "Yes, that was me." He nodded a little bit. "When did I get here? And what exactly happened last night?" He asked curiously, trying to keep his voice level. He wanted answers, as he didn't remember anything after passing out in the alley. 

"You'll get those answers when you need to know them." Akashi replied. He sighed in frustration, looking behind him. "Those idiots are still not in here? I told them to be in here before you arrived." He huffed, standing up. "I'll be back. Don't move." He looked to Kuroko, as if asserting his previous statement. "Satsuki, watch him." 

"Yes, Akashi-san." Momoi smiled and nodded. "Dai-chan should be in his room still. I don't know where the others went." She added as she sat beside Kuroko on the floor. "I haven't seen Mukkun for a while, though." 

Akashi rolled his eyes and turned to leave. "Of course. I will be back." He left the room, walking briskly away. His footsteps faded as he walked away. 

"He seemed angry." Kuroko mumbled, half to himself. He looked around the room curiously. Everything was very traditional and rather clean, save for one area in the back, where a bunch of swords and lances were leaning lazily against the wall. "What is this place?" 

Momoi smiled. "Akashi-san will tell you everything later." She shifted slightly in order to get more comfortable. "Yes, he did seem a little upset, didn't he? Don't worry though, at worst he'll take it out on the others." A thud could be heard down the hallway, followed by yelling and another thud. "That must be Dai-chan." She covered her mouth and giggled a little bit. "He fell asleep again after telling me to get you? What a lazy butt." 

"Who is this 'Dai-chan' you keep talking about?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow, looking at the fox woman. He wasn't sure he wanted to meet this 'Dai-chan', if the yelling did indeed come from him. 

"Oh, he's not that bad!" Momoi exclaimed, noticing Kuroko's apprehension about him. "Besides, as long as Akashi-san's here, he won't do anything stupid. I promise." She pat him on the back and looked up as a man with dark blue hair entered the room, yawning. "Good morning again, Dai-chan." She greeted happily. 

"Yeah... Whatever." The aforementioned 'Dai-chan' sat down on the floor and looked over at Kuroko and Momoi. "So you're the reason Akashi woke me up like that, eh?" He ran his hands lazily through his hair and stared at Kuroko intently. 

"I suppose so." Kuroko nodded. He went quiet again, feeling a little bit awkward with the clearly grumpy and tired man. Akashi still wasn't back, he wondered if there were more people he had to go find in order to start whatever it was he wanted to start. He stared down at his still bound hands and sighed. 'It looks like I won't be getting out of this one alive.' He thought solemnly. He didn't even notice when two more people entered the room. 

"Murasakibaracchi, I can't carry you like this all the time! You're gonna break my back." A taller, blond man stumbled into the room. He was being leaned on by an even taller purple haired guy. "We're here now, so please stop leaning on me!" 

"Eh, but Se-chin is comfortable." The purpled haired giant whined in a surprisingly childish voice. He did comply to the blond's wishes, though, and stood up straight. He looked around the room. "Aka-chin said to wait here for him because he had someone he wanted us to see, but I don't see anybody." He frowned. "Is Aka-chin lying to us?" The giant stood with his arms crossed for a while before thumping down onto the floor. 

"Akashicchi doesn't lie, Murasakibaracchi." The blond laughed a little bit and sat down beside the purple haired man. "But I don't see the person we're suppose to talk to either." He pouted slightly, looking around the room. "Oh, good morning Momocchi, Aominecchi." He smiled as his eyes landed on the pink haired kitsune and the blue haired man. "Have you seen the guy we're supposed to see?" 

Aomine rolled his eyes. "He's right here, stupid." He pointed to Kuroko, who blinked and looked at the blond curiously. "He might be hard to see, but how can you look around the whole room and still not see him? Seriously." 

"Oh!" The blond blinked and looked at Kuroko a little bit closer. "So there he is! Sorry I didn't see you before!" He laughed. "I'm Kise Ryouta, nice to meet you." 

Kuroko nodded. "I suppose. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya." He looked Kise over a little bit. He seemed to be the type of person who was always a little more energetic than the others, though he thought it best not to anger him. He actually thought it best not to anger any of them, they all seemed like they could be dangerous if they wanted to be. 

While Kise was talking to Kuroko, yet another man walked into the room. He straightened his glasses and cleared his throat. "Kise, stop bothering whoever that is." He barked, clearly annoyed. He also looked like he had just been woken up and seemed more frustrated by the call than even Aomine did. "Return to your seat before Akashi returns." He huffed and sat down, sending a glare at Kuroko. He turned his head away without saying anything else. 

"So mean, Midorimacchi~" Kise fake whined and returned to his seat, fixing his hair as he did so. "Speaking of, where is Akashicchi? Is he ditching us?" He crossed his arms and pouted. 

"You would doubt me, Ryouta?" Akashi stepped in the room not a second after Kise had finished his statement. He stepped into the room and sat down. "Now for the matter at hand." He stopped and looked at Kuroko. "You." 

Kuroko froze, looking at Akashi. He was both terrified and curious as to why everyone was called to discuss him. "Me?" He asked stupidly. It was that look, that knowing, piercing, cold, look; that made his mind stop and his body freeze. The redhead was simply a terrifying man. Kuroko snapped out of his thoughts and cleared his throat. "What about me are we here to talk about...?" 

Akashi chuckled, but put no emotion into it. "What you saw last night, of course." He replied, as though what he wanted to speak about was clear from the beginning. He continued on without letting anyone say anything. "What you saw was, to put it lightly; unfortunate. And since you lost consciousness last night before I could do anything, I decided it would be best to bring you here." 

Kuroko nodded a little bit, his heart pounding in his chest. "What is this place?" He asked, a little shaky. He was more terrified of the people around him than the fact that he might actually get killed for seeing what he did. "And who... Who are you, exactly?" 

"Who am I?" Akashi repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I am Akashi Seijuurou, leader of the Shinsengumi, and you will not ask any further questions until we are finished with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly filler to set up for the rest of the plot.   
> I'm sorry if this sucks.


	3. Unhelpful Help Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko gets an idea of what's going to happen to him and where his friend is; however, he is now stuck as an assistant to the intimidating leader of the group of samurai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe in this chapter I'll be able to get an idea of what exactly I'm writing.   
> Probably not.

Kuroko sat in stunned silence for a moment. He blinked a bit in surprise. "R-Right..." He fell silent after that, waiting for Akashi to speak again. The silence that followed was tense and made Kuroko want to run from this place, from everything he had gotten himself into. He regretted leaving his house to look for Kagami and chasing after that man now. 

"Now that we're through with that, I'd like to discuss your fate." Akashi said, a cold smirk on his face. "We would love to let you get back to your life as it was before, but I'm afraid you might tell someone what you saw last night. Should that happen, we would have no choice but to find and kill you." He paused, letting that sink in for a moment. "However, there is another alternative." 

"I say we just kill 'im, save us the trouble." Aomine yawned lazily, looking sideways at Kuroko. "It's not like we can trust him, anyway." 

"I agree with Mine-chin." Murasakibara nodded, also looking at Kuroko. He seemed... bored, almost, which disturbed Kuroko greatly, almost more than what Aomine had suggested or Akashi's words beforehand. "I'm bored anyway, this is taking too long." 

"Be quiet, both of you." Akashi barked, a scowl on his face. He cleared his throat slightly and waited for complete silence before continuing. "I assume you value your life, correct?" He barely waited for Kuroko's nod before continuing. "If you can prove yourself useful to us, I will allow you to stay here. But before I dismiss everyone, I would like to know exactly why you were in the alley last night." 

Kuroko took a deep breath. He felt all the attention shift to him and shifted slightly, uncomfortable. "Well, I was looking for a friend of mine, who had come to Edo on business." He started, staring at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the room. "He left seven months ago and still hasn't returned, so I decided to come look for him." When he was met with silence, he looked up. "I got lost somewhere and ended up in the alley. A shop owner had called for someone to help catch a thief, and that's when I ran into the white haired man." He finished, taking another shaky, deep breath. 

Akashi was silent for a moment. "And who is this friend of yours, that left seven months ago and didn't return?"

"His name is Kagami Taiga." Kuroko replied. "He worked as a carpenter for the nearby village, but was called out to Edo for a big project." He wasn't quite sure why he was explaining what his friend did to these people, but he did nonetheless. 

"Kagami... Taiga." The redheaded man repeated quietly, putting a hand on his chin in thought. "I've heard that name before."

"Isn't he that guy who went somewhere with a group of people a while back and didn't return?" Kise chimed in, looking at Akashi curiously. "I thought he worked with that weird doctor guy on something." 

"That's quite enough, Ryouta." Akashi held up his hand. He looked at Kuroko once more. "We may be able to aid you in finding this friend of yours, but you will have to swear you will not run from us." His request was simple, but sounded more like an order than anything. "If you do, well... I'm sure you can guess the consequences by now." 

Kuroko nodded quietly, unable to form any words for a reply. He figured it would be easier to listen to the man rather than to take his chances, though he wasn't too keen on staying with a bunch of deadly swordsmen. 

"Good, then it's decided." Akashi smiled once more. "You will stay with us and attend somebody until we find something else to do with you. I don't trust you enough to let you go out on your own, so whenever you wish to leave the area, you will require an escort." 

Kuroko nodded again. "Right." He couldn't find it in himself to say anything more, so he stuck with the single word response. He wondered why he had agreed to this, rather than just asking them to kill him and get it over with. A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he mulled over the events of the last hour. 

"Akashicchi, who's he going to attend to?" Kise asked curiously. "I don't need anybody following me around all the time, I'm not even that important." He said, obviously trying to get out of the responsibility of watching the blue haired man. 

"I don't need another person to look after either." Aomine huffed angrily. Kuroko wondered if that person he was talking about meant Momoi, as she bristled slightly when she heard the statement. 

"I believe it would be in everyone's best interests for you to look after him, Akashi." Midorima said, adjusting his glasses once more. "After all, it was you who came up with the idea in the first place. It's only fair that you should be the one to watch him." 

Akashi sighed a little bit, closing his eyes. He was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and opened his eyes again, staring at Kuroko intently. "Very well, I will watch him." He spoke as if Kuroko was no longer in the room, or as if he were some pet to be kept. "Satsuki, untie his wrists." 

Momoi nodded and gently removed the rope from Kuroko's wrists, winding it around her own. 

Kuroko tenderly rubbed the sore, red skin and sighed once more. He wasn't sure how he felt about having to be watched all the time, and he certainly wasn't thrilled he was being watched by the very man who could end his life in a moment's notice. 

"We're finished here. You are all dismissed." Akashi waved his hand dismissively and the others quickly exited the room, Momoi following close behind Aomine and nagging him about being nicer to people. "Tetsuya, come with me." He stood, looking down at Kuroko. "Hurry up, I'm not very patient." 

Kuroko stood quickly and silently, cautiously approaching the man he realized wasn't much taller than himself. As much as he didn't want to say it, he was grateful he would be getting a little bit of help with finding his friend, even if it came in the form of a terrifying man with equally terrifying subordinates.


	4. An Eventful Day Indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akashi pulls Kuroko around, they meet one of Kagami's childhood friends, and find a lost guy back at base.

"I'm going to be taking a patrol out this afternoon; you will be coming with us." Akashi said once they reached his room. He looked at Kuroko, who nodded a little bit. He opened the door and stepped inside, picking up Kuroko's katana from the floor and holding it out for him. "This belongs to you." 

"Thank you." Kuroko took the sword and tucked it at his side. He was still uncomfortable being around the redhead and wasn't sure how he felt about going out with him, but he knew better than to oppose him. He could defend himself a little bit, but not enough to overthrow a trained swordsman. 

"Until then, you will stay in here. I have some business I need to attend to. If I return to find you gone, you will face my wrath. I'm not sure you want that." Akashi smiled again and left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Kuroko alone in the unfamiliar place. 

"He's scary..." The blue haired man mumbled and leaned against the wall with a sigh. He closed his eyes and slid down the wall, ending up on the floor. "I don't know why he distrusts me so much, I couldn't go against him if I tried." He opened his eyes and stared at the ground for a while. He put a hand on the sheath of his sword. "I am grateful he returned my sword, though..." 

There wasn't much Kuroko was willing to try in the other man's room, for fear of getting in trouble for it. So he sat against the wall and thought over his predicament instead, wondering how in the world he had managed to end up an assistant to the leader of the most terrifying underground organization in Japan. Soon, he found his thoughts wandering to the white haired man in the alley, and how quickly the Shinsengumi were willing to try and cover it up. "I wonder what was going on with that man." He thought aloud, looking at the opposite wall. 

Moments later, footsteps were heard outside the room. They stopped just before the door and the door was opened, revealing Akashi. "Ah, you're still here." He mused, as if he had expected Kuroko to run. "Stand up, we're going." He grabbed a blue jacket, much like the one the white haired man was wearing last night, and re-tied his hair in a high ponytail. He made sure it wouldn't fall out before moving again. 

Kuroko quickly stood and they left the room, heading out to the entrance where a group of men were waiting. 'I didn't see anyone else while we were walking to Akashi-san's room, do these people live in the complex as well?' Kuroko thought, looking at each of the men in turn. They were all equally terrifying, but not nearly as much so as the men he had encountered in the morning. They set off into the city, and Kuroko made sure to stay relatively close to the group. 

As they were walking, a man who looked strangely like a friend of Kagami's turned and watched Kuroko. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then went up to the group. "Hey, you're Taiga's friend, aren't you?" He grabbed Kuroko's arm and turned him around. 

"A-Ah... Yes, I am." Kuroko stumbled a little bit, looking up slightly at the taller man. "Aren't you Himuro-san?" He asked curiously, oblivious to Akashi angrily approaching from a little ways away. 

"Yes, that's me." Himuro smiled, satisfied that he had found someone he knew. "Do you know what happened to Taiga? He hasn't sent a letter to me in three months. I'm starting to get worried about him." His expression became more somber as he spoke. 

"No, I don't know where he is." Kuroko shook his head. "I was looking for him earlier myself, but I haven't had any luck." He sighed. It was reassuring to see someone he knew, and not some crazy man. 

"Excuse me." Akashi cleared his throat from behind Kuroko, causing both him and Himuro to jump slightly. "What are you doing, Tetsuya?" 

"Pardon me, sir, I called him over." Himuro spoke up, apologizing. "Is there something wrong with that?" He glanced at Kuroko out of the corner of his eye, noticing Kuroko sigh a little bit. "I'm just asking him about a mutual friend of ours." 

"Yes, I know what you were talking about." Akashi replied coldly, looking to Himuro. "If you wish to discuss this further, then I suppose you will have to come with us." Without another word, motioned for Kuroko to follow him and started walking away. 

"I'm sorry, Himuro-san, I have to go." Kuroko apologized and followed after Akashi. He didn't look back to see Himuro following them, but figured he would anyway, after all he and Kagami had been like brothers growing up. 

After the patrol was over, the group returned to the base. Akashi noted that Himuro had indeed followed them and sighed. "Then I will have no choice but to make you stay with us, since you did follow." 

"What? I just want to talk to Kuroko and get on my-" Himuro didn't finish his sentence, as a cold glare was sent his way. "R-Right. I guess I have no choice then." He rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes. "I guess this is better than aimlessly wandering around Edo." He muttered quietly. They went into the main room, where there was a stranger sitting with a few of the other members. 

"Who is this? And how did he get in?" Akashi demanded, looking at the stranger sitting beside Midorima. 

"Uh, hi, I'm Takao Kazunari. I got lost. There was nobody at the gate so I just kind of came in." The guy replied, laughing awkwardly under the angry glare he was getting. "They were nice enough to explain where I was." He pointed to the others in the room and immediately afterward broke eye contact, bringing a hand to his chest. 

Akashi groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Morons." He whispered under his breath. "Fine. Shintarou, you look after him since I don't want him running around with the knowledge you all so nicely decided to give him." He gave Midorima a look as the green haired man was about to protest. "I will hear no complaints." 

"Ne, Aka-chin, who's the guy behind you?" Murasakibara pointed at Himuro curiously. "Did he see something like Kuro-chin?" 

"No, he followed us." Akashi replied. "Since you're so interested in him, why don't you watch him?" 

"I don't need a babysitter." Himuro frowned, crossing his arms. He looked at Murasakibara closely. "He's so big..." He muttered in awe. Before he knew it, the purpled haired giant was standing right in front of him. He almost had to crane his neck to make eye contact. Thankfully he wasn't as short as Kuroko was. 

"Come with me, stranger." Murasakibara grabbed Himuro's wrist and pulled him out of the room and down the hallway before anyone could say anything. The room was left in a stunned silence for a moment. 

"Now that that's over, Ryouta, you have tonight's patrol." Akashi sighed, looking at Kise. "Tell Daiki he is to join you." He turned his head slightly to look at Kuroko. "We're finished here. Return to my room. I will be there shortly." 

Kuroko nodded and left the room, heading toward Akashi's room. "What a day..." He stepped into the room and sat down where he had sat before, looking at the ceiling. "It was certainly more eventful than I had expected it to be."


	5. Something Amiss Pt. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later that night, after dinner, the Shinsengumi learns of something sinister happening in a hotel and decide to investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been almost a month since I updated this fic, whoops. I saw that one coming, though. So bear with me, I'm going to try to update more often.   
> This is a slightly more serious chapter than the last one, hopefully.

Kuroko hadn't been sitting alone long before Akashi returned to the room, a frown on his face. He raised an eyebrow and glanced up to the red haired man. "Is there something wrong, Akashi-san? You seem troubled." 

"No, everything's fine." Akashi replied and closed the door, sitting across from Kuroko and leaning on the wall. "There's nothing for you to worry about, so you should just rest for the time being." His words didn't seem to sound as cold as they had previously. 'Maybe he's just tense, and that's why he's so cold.' Kuroko thought with a sigh. 

He was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I don't feel the need to rest any further, I haven't done much today, anyway." He chose his words carefully, hoping to keep the other man pacified. "However, you might want to rest a little bit, you seem exhausted. Perhaps it would be a good idea to lay down for a while?" 

Akashi sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, nodding slowly. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea." He stood up and took his hair out of its ponytail, running his fingers through his bangs. "You may leave the room, but do not leave the premises. Come and wake me when it's time for dinner." He yawned slightly and sat on the bed, laying down and closing his eyes. 

"Right, I will come by when it's time for supper." Kuroko stood up, bowing slightly. He left the room and closed the door, looking down both sides of the hallway. Nobody seemed to be around in that area of the headquarters. "I should learn the floor plan of the building, just in case." He mused and turned down the hallway toward the main room, taking his time and thinking over the events of the recent past. "I wonder how Kagami-kun is doing..." 

Before long, and not unexpectedly, he ran into somebody. "Oops! Sorry, I should've been paying atten-Oh! Tetsu-kun! I wasn't expecting to see you out here!" Momoi shook her head, looking at Kuroko curiously. "Did you get permission from Akashi-kun to look around the headquarters?" Her surprise quickly turned to joy as Kuroko nodded. "That's so great! I'm glad Akashi-kun seems to like you so much." 

A smile spread on Kuroko's face as he nodded again. "I am as well. I was honestly worried I would end up dead." It may have come out sounding like humor, but he was dead serious. "Akashi-san is a very... Intense person." He added. "But I don't necessarily think he's a bad person." 

Momoi nodded, a smile on her face. "That's true. Akashi-kun isn't a bad person, he's just under a lot of stress." She shifted her weight slightly and looked down the hallway. "I'm glad you're so understanding, even if you do have death threats hanging over your head all the time." She laughed a little bit. "But hey, since you're out here, would you mind helping me hang the laundry? Dai-chan won't help." 

"Oh, sure, I don't mind." Kuroko shook his head. "Anything I can do to make myself useful." With a nod from Momoi, the two of them went outside and hung the laundry to dry. When they were finished, they returned inside. 

"Thank you for your help, Tetsu-kun." Momoi smiled, setting the laundry basket in the laundry room. "It went much faster with someone else helping me." 

Kuroko nodded. "I'm happy to help. The next time you need someone to help you hang laundry, you can just ask me." He wiped his hands on a towel and fixed his hair. 

"Oh, thank you!" Momoi replied. "Since you're here, why don't we go find the others and start dinner?" Before Kuroko could reply, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along with her, into the hallway again. "I'm going to go get Dai-chan to help me start making dinner. If you have time, please go find everyone and tell them dinner's being prepared." She pat his shoulder and went off down to Aomine's room. 

Kuroko stood where he was for a while, looking down the hallway. "I suppose I should just knock on the doors and see if anyone's in there." He tapped his chin gently, then shrugged and started down the hallway, knocking on a few doors as he went. Most of them didn't wield any answers, or people who offered little help in finding the others, and it was beginning to get frustrating. "I wish someone would just help me." He mumbled as he knocked on yet another door.

There was a long pause, and before Kuroko could leave, the door opened, revealing Kise. "Oh, it's you~ Does Akashicchi need something?" He smiled, leaning on the door frame slightly. 

"No, Momoi-san wanted me to gather everyone together for dinner." Kuroko shook his head, looking up at Kise. "She went to find Aomine-kun to help her prepare, I was just asked to find everybody." He added. 

"Oh, okay! Well, I'm gonna go make sure Aominecchi and Momocchi don't burn the headquarters down." He laughed and started walking toward the kitchen, waving a bit. "The others should be around here somewhere, good luck finding them!" 

"Right, thank you Kise-kun." Kuroko nodded and went to find the others. It took a little too long for his liking, and by the time he was finished, everyone was just about ready to eat. "I should go wake Akashi-san." He sighed and turned back to Akashi's room, quietly sliding the door open and stepping in. He gently shook Akashi's shoulder, trying to wake him up. 

"Hmm...?" Akashi groaned and opened his eyes, yawning a bit. "What is it, Tetsuya?"


	6. Something Amiss Pt. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Check previous chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has begun, so I will probably be updating even less frequently than I am now! I apologize for the inconvenience and wish I didn't have to attend school, but that's how life is. Instead, I will focus on trying to update as regularly as possible to get you guys the chapters I hope you all want to read.   
> Thanks for your understanding, let's get on with the next chapter!

"It's time to eat." Kuroko said simply, taking a step back. "Unless you have retracted your previous request, I believe it's time for you to get up." The smallest of smiles reached across the blue haired man's face and he turned to leave the room again. 

Akashi sighed and sat up, stretching a little bit. "Thank you. I will join you all in just a moment, go sit with everyone." He practically shooed Kuroko out of the room with his words, waving his hand dismissively. He combed through his hair with his fingers, tied it in a loose ponytail, and stood up. He wasn't particularly keen on sitting in a room with his rowdy subordinates, but if he wasn't there, there's no telling what kind of trouble they would get into. He sighed again and headed toward the common room after Kuroko slowly. 

When Akashi entered the room, he had expected disarray and a mess of food everywhere. What he found was something a little more calm. Not by much, though, there was still wrestling and arguing, throwing of small bits of food to see if it could land in the other's mouth; nothing new. He rolled his eyes and sat down, watching the ruckus in front of him. "You'd think I ran a day care..." He muttered under his breath, shaking his head. 

"Akashi-san, are you going to eat?" Kuroko interrupted Akashi's train of thought, holding a tray out to him. He didn't dare say anything past that, for fear of angering the short tempered redhead. 

"Ah, yes. Just set it down, Tetsuya." Akashi nodded slightly, motioning for Kuroko to set the tray in front of him. His eyes scanned the room for two people in particular, and when he didn't find them, he frowned. "Atsushi, Shintarou, where are the two men I asked you to watch over? You didn't leave them in your rooms, did you?" He was asking more out of worry they might run and tell someone than concern for their well being, naturally, but one could be naive enough to think it was concern. "I suggest you bring them into the room." 

Midorima was quiet for a moment, but nodded and stood up, leaving the room. Murasakibara took a while longer, complaining that Himuro didn't even want to join them in the common room for dinner. Eventually, and with many prompts from Akashi, he did stand up and leave to retrieve the other "guest". They were both gone for a while, seemingly either arguing with or convincing the other to join everyone. 

Finally, all four of them reentered the room. Himuro made quick work of finding Kuroko and sitting beside him instead of Muaraskibara, feeling more comfortable around his brother's best friend than the giant. Takao didn't seem to care where he sat, so he sat beside Midorima. Everything seemed to calm down with the presence of the other two in the room, to which Akashi was grateful. 

Just when everything seemed to be completely in control, one of the researchers came in, a rather worried look on his face. "Excuse the interruption, but I need to speak with Akashi right now." He motioned for Akashi to follow him out into the hallway and closed the door when he exited. 

It was a long, heavy silence; as everyone tried to listen to the conversation going on outside the common room without making it too conspicuous. It took a while for Akashi to return, and when he had he looked ready to go somewhere. "Finish what you're doing and get ready, we need to go." He offered no explanation, after his statement and continued down the hall. 

Everything was quiet for a moment; but it was the calm before the storm, and as soon as everyone realized what they were supposed to do, the room was emptied quickly. There was barely a trace of the meal that had taken place not five minutes prior. 

Kuroko left the room last and walked o Akashi's room. "I wonder if I will have to stay here..." He thought aloud, sighing a bit. If it was something urgent, though, he probably would much rather stay behind than possibly get himself killed for trying to help. "I'd probably only get in the way, actually." He shook his head and entered the room, picking up his katana just in case. 

Moments later, Akashi returned to the room. "You will be coming with us, Tetsuya." It was more of an order than a statement, not that Kuroko expected anything less. "It would be best if you were there, just in case some sort of ambush were to happen here. I doubt they'd be looking for someone as forgettable as you are, but we can't have you die just yet." 

Something about those words sent a shiver down Kuroko's spine, and he nodded slowly. "I understand." He managed. If he was being honest with himself, he was terrified to see what was going on, and wasn't sure how well he'd be able to hold together. "Where are we going?" He ventured to ask, but almost immediately regretted making the inquisition. 

"You'll find out when we get there." Akashi replied coldly. "Let's go." Before Kuroko could say anything else, - not that he wanted to - Akashi had left the room and was heading toward the gate, leaving Kuroko with no choice but to follow him or suffer the consequences of disobedience. 

A sigh escaped the blue haired man's lips and he followed after Akashi quickly. Before long, everyone was gathered at the gate and they set off, taking back streets and alleys to get where they were going. It all seemed a bit suspicious to Kuroko, but he figured it would be better not to question it. Along the way, it was explained that there was a terrorist group hiding out in a hotel at the edge of town, planning on attacking the city the next day. Kuroko couldn't help but think it was a suicide mission to try and fight terrorists. 

When they reached the hotel, Akashi stopped and turned around. "Before we rush in there blindly, we need a plan." It was explained that Aomine and Murasakibara were to rush in and distract the people on the first floor while Midorima and Kise went upstairs to look for information. Akashi would find the leader, and Kuroko was to act as decoy. It seemed well thought out, but Kuroko couldn't help but think it would get them killed anyway.


	7. The Midnight Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a fight. Things happen. People die.   
> I'm bad at naming and summarizing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I can finally sit down and write another chapter after a long day of doing things I didn't want to do and going to church.   
> So I will try to update once every week until this fic is finished, and I promise I will actually finish this one, unlike my Transformers au I just kind of left.

Kuroko found himself feeling more nervous than he was when he woke up in the base of the Shinsengumi as he watched Aomine and Murasakibara go into the hotel, swords out. He shifted his weight and stared at the ground, his mind racing. He barely noticed Momoi walk up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Tetsu-kun, are you alright?" The pink haired kitsune asked, a worried look on her face. "You suddenly got really pale. You're not worried about dying or anything, are you?" She got no reply, so she frowned. "Oi, Tetsu-kun. Are you alright?" 

Kuroko blinked and looked at Momoi. "Oh, sorry.... Yes, I'm alright." He smiled a little bit, shaking his head. "At least, I should be sooner or later." He added afterward with a slight shrug. He avoided the look Momoi was giving him and stared at the hotel. "...If I'm being honest, I've never fought anyone before." 

"I didn't think so." Akashi spoke up from beside Kuroko. "You don't look like the type to get into fights. I doubt you'll actually need to do anything, though, so just stay out of trouble and you should be fine." 

It didn't make Kuroko feel any better, but he figured he should at least say something. "Thank you..." He mumbled out, sighing deeply. He watched Midorima and Kise run in and head upstairs, then looked at Momoi, who smiled reassuringly at him. 

"If you get into trouble, I'll come in and help you out, okay?" She pat his shoulder and smiled. "But I don't think you'll get into any, so there's no need to worry!" She sounded a little too optimistic for the situation as far as Kuroko was concerned, but he decided not to voice that. "It's almost time for you to go in, are you ready?" 

'No.' Kuroko thought. "Yes." He said instead, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword. 'I doubt it would have mattered if I was ready or not.' He sighed. 

"Right, then, let's go inside. Remember, you're just there to distract people, Tetsuya. Try not to get into fights." Akashi said and started walking into the hotel. Once again, Kuroko was left with the choice to follow him in or face the consequences of not listening. 

He decided against his gut instinct and followed the redhead inside the hotel. The sounds of swords hitting together filled the air, along with agonized screaming and angry yelling. There was a distinct smell of blood that made Kuroko want to throw up and pass out, but he kept it in if only to not seem so useless compared to everyone else. "Where do I go?" He asked curiously. 

Akashi stopped and looked at Kuroko. "Stay down here, try to distract or at least hold off some people if you can." He said. "Satsuki will come help you if you need her to." He added and went upstairs without another word, leaving Kuroko alone in the lobby of the large hotel. 

"Hold someone off, huh..." Kuroko frowned, gripping the hilt of his sword. "Easier said than done." He sighed and took a step toward the common room where most of the screaming and sword clanging was going on, stopping just before the door to stare at the bloody scene in front of him. Aomine and Murasakibara stood in the middle of the room, back to back, fighting off what the blue haired man could only guess were the terrorists. Everything from the floor to the ceiling was covered in blood. It made his stomach churn. 

If there was ever a time he was glad he had little presence, now was it. He couldn't bring himself to step into the room, no matter what messages his brain sent his legs. All he could do was stand there in shock and hope nobody noticed him. 

Unfortunately, someone who had been injured caught his eye and started making his way toward Kuroko slowly. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" His voice was teasing and condescending. Kuroko wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face, if only he could get his arm to move. "Looks like someone's never seen anything like this. Maybe I should just kill you and get it over with!"

Something about that sentence set the adrenaline running in Kuroko, and before the other man could so much as point his sword at him, Kuroko drew his own and shoved it through his stomach. "...." He pulled the bloody sword out of the now dead terrorists' body and took a step backward, and everything suddenly felt numb. 

Aomine, who had just wiped his blade of the blood of others turned to see the stunned Kuroko and rolled his eyes. "Oi, don't pass out or anything!" He yelled. "...He's not listening." He huffed and made his way to the door, sheathing his sword and putting his hands on Kuroko's shoulders. "Hey! Snap out of it, idiot!" 

"...!" Kuroko jumped upon hearing Aomine's words and looked up at the taller man. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" He asked. "I'm... Afraid I didn't hear you." 

"Duh, you were too dumbstruck to notice anything." Aomine stated bluntly. "First time running somebody through, then?" He really didn't need to ask, it was pretty evident from the way Kuroko was acting, but he just needed to reaffirm it. With a nod from Kuroko, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, you did it to save your own life... It's not like you'll be doing it very often." 

"...Right, I don't know what came over me." Kuroko shook his head and sheathed his sword slowly. He clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking too much, but it didn't do much. 

"Ne, calm down, he was trying to kill you." Murasakibara made his way over and put his hand on Kuroko's head. "Kuro-chin freaks out too much, it's nothing." His words were less helpful than Aomine's were - not that it was very surprising. 

"Don't say that, dumbass. He'll only freak out more." Aomine hit Murasakibara on the arm with a frown. "Let's just... Get him outside to Satsuki. Maybe she can help him calm down a little." 

"Eh? Fine, but I don't see what the big deal is." Murasakibara shrugged and let his hand fall. 

The two of them lead Kuroko outside to where Momoi was. "Tetsu-kun, you're white as a ghost! What happened?" She blinked and looked at Aomine for the answer. 

"He ended up killing some guy who targeted him or something." Aomine replied, shrugging. "Just watch over him until we're done inside. We probably have more work to do in there, anyway." With that, he and Murasakibara disappeared back into the hotel, leaving Momoi and Kuroko outside. 

"Hey, Tetsu-kun, are you okay?" Momoi asked, worried. "You seem pretty shaken up about it. Why don't we sit down?" She took his hand and lead him to a bench by the path, sitting him down. 

"...I don't know, Momoi-san." Kuroko shook his head, staring down at his hands. "I've never killed another person before, even if it was self-defense." He replayed the scene over and over in his head, shuddering slightly. 

"It's okay if you're scared, you know? I would be too." Momoi said, putting her hand on Kuroko's shoulder, offering a smile. "Just try not to dwell on it too long, it'll deteriorate your health. We don't want that, do we?" 

"No, I suppose not." Kuroko shook his head, looking up at the building. "I'll try to leave it behind me." He muttered and sighed. 'I wonder how everyone else is doing...'


	8. Chance Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle comes to a close and the Shinsengumi return to the base, only to be confronted with a few rogue demons who claim to know Kuroko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUUUUN.   
> I just did that, I'm sorry.   
> I hope this plot makes sense to people ( /o n o )/

It was apparent things were beginning to wrap up inside, since not nearly as many screams of agony could be heard from inside. For that, Kuroko was grateful. All he wanted to do at that point was to just run somewhere far away and never come anywhere near Edo again. If he was being honest with himself, he just wanted to let someone kill him to put him out of whatever this hell he was going through was. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Momoi, who was shaking his shoulder. "Tetsu-kun, the others are almost done, let's go back toward the door so they can see us." The pink haired kitsune dropped her hand and stood up, stretching. 

"...Right." Kuroko nodded and stood up, stretching his arms slightly. He followed after Momoi quietly and refused to raise his eyes from the ground. A sick feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach as he neared the building and he had to turn away. 'Please let them be quick.' 

Not moments after he had thought that, Akashi stepped out of the building, followed by the others. "That took longer than I was expecting it to." The redhead mused and sheathed his sword, looking to Momoi and Kuroko. "No matter; we finished what we came here to do. We're leaving now." 

Momoi nodded and gently shook Kuroko's shoulder again. "We're leaving." She said and pat his arm slightly, a sympathetic smile on her face. She started walking after the group and seemed to be whispering something to Akashi when she pointed back to him. 

Kuroko sighed and followed the group, forcing himself to lift his head and watch where he was going, though he knew if he lagged behind someone would bring him back up to speed or just leave him to get lost and die on his own. He shook his head and frowned. 'I shouldn't be thinking like this...' He thought, eyebrows creasing. 'Maybe I just need some sleep... It is late, after all.' He didn't know exactly how late it was, but he figured it was way past the time he was usually asleep. 

They seemed to have been walking forever when they finally reached the base, but something seemed wrong. "Someone's here." Momoi murmured from beside Kuroko, her ears twitching slightly. "We should be on our guard, Akashi-kun." She said, glancing around apprehensively. 

"Right. I will be careful, Satsuki." Akashi nodded and put his hand on the hilt of his blade. He pushed the gate open and looked around, eyes landing on three dark figures at the opposite end of the courtyard. "Hmm..." He frowned, walking over to them. "And who might you three be?"

"No need ta tell you!" The one on the far right jeered, sticking his tongue out. "We're here for Kuroko, not you!" He seemed rather childish, but not overly so. "So step aside and let us take him, shorty!" 

"Excuse you?" Akashi raised an eyebrow, letting his hand fall from his sword. "I don't recall any other acquaintances of Tetsuya beyond Himuro Tatsuya and Taiga." The redhead crossed his arms, shifting his weight slightly. "I believe it would be in your best interest to leave now." 

Farther back, Momoi motioned for Kuroko to follow her. "If we can get inside, I'm sure Akashi-kun can stall them long enough for them to stop caring." She smiled. "I'll lead you to the back entrance and then come back out so it looks like you're not even with us." 

Kuroko nodded, glancing at the three people across the courtyard. "Lead the way, Momoi-san." He followed her around the back and opened the door quietly. "Thank you for your help." She shook her head and he smiled a little bit, closing the door behind him. "I hope nothing too extreme happens." 

"What do you mean he's not here?!" The demon in the middle barked angrily, coming closer to Akashi. "We clearly saw him with you! What'd you do to him?!"

"None of your concern. Now I suggest you leave before I get cross." Akashi replied calmly, staring up at the tall demon in front of him. "If you value your life, that is." A cold, calculated smile found it way onto his face and the demon backed off. 

He growled, clicking his tongue. "Fine, we'll leave you alone for now. But the moment we hear you've got him, we're going to kill you all." With that, he and his small group left, taking the rooftops to get out of the base. 

"Akashicchi, are you sure that was okay?!" Kise exclaimed, running up to Akashi. "You could've gotten killed or something!"

"Nonsense, Ryouta, I knew exactly what I was doing." Akashi replied with a humorless laugh. "I do want to ask Tetsuya about those demons, though..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know.   
> I'm making up for it in side chapters though! So look forward to that. 
> 
> Constructive criticism, suggestions, and advice are always welcome!


	9. Side Story 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murasakibara had taken a great liking to Himuro, but he wasn't quite sure the other man felt the same. So he decided to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dumb side stories part one!   
> So this is mainly focusing on Himuro and Murasakibara. Mainly the fact Murasakibara thinks Himuro is cute and wants to be his lover, even though he's pretty bad at actually just saying that.
> 
> This is basically me using filler to cover up the fact I have no idea what I'm doing with the plot of this story.

"Ne, Muro-chin, you should come on patrol with me today." Murasakibara whined, poking Himuro in the cheek. "I get bored out there with just the stupid rookies I have to take with me." It sounded more like a command than a request, but not in the way Akashi's requests seemed to sound. This was more of a... Child begging their parents to buy them a toy type of command. It was also the type of command Himuro could do without. 

"I don't think Akashi-san wants me to leave base." Himuro shook his head and stepped away from Murasakibara slightly. "Besides, I promised Tetsuya I would go talk with him about Taiga today." 

Murasakibara pouted; he really did act like a child sometimes. "Kuro-chin can wait, and Aka-chin told me it was okay if you came with me."

Himuro couldn't help but feel the giant was lying to him, but shrugged it off. "I don't want to make Tetsuya wait, Atsushi. He's very concerned about Taiga and thinks I may be able to offer some assistance of some sort." He honestly just didn't want to be dragged around by the purple haired man all throughout town.

"Eh? But I'm sure if Kuro-chin asked Aka-chin about his dumb friend he could find something out. You're coming with me." That statement was final, no more questions asked. Murasakibara grabbed Himuro by the arm and pulled him out of his room, walking down the hallway. "While we're out we should buy some snacks."

"Okay, but can you let go of my arm first? You're kind of hurting me..." Himuro struggled to match Murasakibara's stride and pry his hand off his arm. "And another thing; why are you asking me to come with you? Why don't you ask Tetsuya, or one of the others here?" 

Murasakibara stopped, causing Himuro to nearly smack into him. "Well, Kuro-chin seems to always be busy with Aka-chin, and I want to crush the others. Plus, I like Muro-chin." His tone of voice suggested Himuro should have known that was the answer all along, even though it was pretty obvious he didn't. "Why? Does Muro-chin not like me?"

"No, it's not like that, Atsushi." Himuro laughed awkwardly. "I was just wondering why you chose me over someone else. Now I know." He paused, looking up at Murasakibara. "Now, can you please let go of my arm? It's seriously starting to hurt." 

The giant seemed to ponder the request for a moment, and when he decided Himuro wouldn't run away from him the moment he let go, he did. "Will you come with me on patrol then, Muro-chin?" 

"Ah... Yeah, I'll come with you. But I'd like to be back in time to at least try to help Tetsuya figure something out." Himuro rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down the hallway. "So, if we're going to go, then we should just go." 

"Okay." Murasakibara seemed pleased with the answer he got, and started walking again, leaving Himuro to follow him. "We still have to stop and get snacks on the way back, though." 

Himuro smiled a bit and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Atsushi." 

\-----------------------

It was already dark by the time the duo returned home. Himuro stepped into Murasakibara's room and fell onto the cot he was given to sleep on. "I can't believe you stopped at every food place along the way." He mumbled, staring up at Murasakibara, who was eating some sort of candy or something. He honestly didn't care anymore, he was just glad to be off his feet.

"I told Muro-chin we had to buy snacks, didn't you listen?" Murasakibara sat on his bed, staring at Himuro curiously. "I thought Muro-chin was more perceptive than that." He shrugged and finished off the food in one large bite. 

"I did hear you, I just didn't think you'd make us stop at every vendor we found." Himuro replied. "I think you may have put a few of them out of business." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I just want to sleep now, please leave me alone." 

Murasakibara frowned, setting the remains of the food on his bed and standing to poke Himuro on the cheek. "Ne, Muro-chin shouldn't sleep just yet. I don't have anyone to talk to if you do."

"Why not go bother Akashi-san? I'm sure he'd be happy to entertain you for the time being, Atsushi." Himuro groaned and slapped Murasakibara's hand away from his face. "It's not like I'm the only one you have to talk to." 

The purple haired man apparently didn't like the answer Himuro gave him and pouted deeply, giving his face an even more childlike appearance. Though he was loathe to admit it, Himuro did find him rather cute when he did that. "I only wanna talk to Muro-chin." 

"Atsushi, you can't talk to only me, you know. You'll get in trouble." Himuro sighed and sat up. "I'm not even supposed to be here, so really you should just pretend I don't even exist, okay?"

"That's stupid, Muro-chin," Murasakibara frowned. "I can clearly see you right now, why would I pretend you don't exist? Plus I want to talk to you because I think you're cute."

Himuro could feel his face heating up and struggled to get any words out. "E-E-Excuse me? Did you... Just call me cute, Atsushi?" He asked incredulously, certain he had been hearing things. 

"Well yeah, dummy." Murasakibara nodded. "I think Muro-chin is cute and I only want to be around him all the time." He added, crossing his arms, staring at Himuro. 

"O-Oh... I see what you're trying to say." Himuro cleared his throat and took a deep breath, calming himself down. "You're asking me to be your lover, right?"

"I thought that was obvious, Muro-chin. You really are slow." The giant said in a matter of fact tone, shaking his head slightly. 

"Well, I guess... I could give it a try." Himuro ran his fingers through his hair, staring at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "But you have to promise to let me talk to other people."


	10. Some Secrets are Better Left Untold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi asks Kuroko about those mysterious demons that showed up at the base and learns something interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since I've updated...   
> I kept running into dead ends with the plot of this stupid thing, so I'm really sorry about that! 
> 
> Luckily, we're about halfway through the main plot of the story!

"Tetsuya, do you have a moment?" Akashi stepped into his room, taking his hair out of its ponytail. "I have a few questions for you." He removed his outer robe and discarded it to the side, then sat down on his bed and rolled his shoulder. 

Kuroko, who had been dozing off on the futon, blinked and looked up at Akashi. He nodded slowly and yawned. "I do... What do you need, Akashi-san?" He ran his hand through his hair, a little nervous. It wasn't very often Akashi asked him if he had a moment for questions, and usually it meant he had done something wrong. 'Could it be he's angry about what happened at the hotel?' 

"Good." Akashi nodded, crossing his legs. He noticed Kuroko's nervousness and sighed a little. "I'm not angry." He said in an attempt to calm him down. "I'm just curious." He paused, gauging Kuroko's reaction, then continued. "When we returned here earlier, there were three demons waiting that claimed they knew you. Could there be any basis for that?" 

Kuroko let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and closed his eyes, calming his racing heart. "Well, sort of..." He mumbled, staring at the floor. "I suppose you could say they do know me... To an extent." 

"To an extent?" Akashi repeated, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" He leaned forward a little bit, his initial curiosity over the situation overtaking his need to be in control over it. 

"Exactly what I said," Kuroko stated, looking up finally. "They only know me to an extent." He avoided any real confrontation with the question, worried over what Akashi's reaction would be if he said anything. "It's not something I really enjoy talking about, Akashi-san." 

"I understand, but this information could save all of our lives in the future, Tetsuya." Akashi replied. "I just need to know why these demons know you." For the first time, he tried to phrase his sentence lightly. His thoughts were brought back to what Momoi had told him earlier. 'Loosen up a little bit, okay? He's really shaken up about all of this.' Her voice resounded in his subconscious and he sighed. 

Kuroko thought for a moment, staring out the window. "I suppose..." He started quietly. "It wouldn't hurt to tell you." He didn't honestly think that, but figured if he tricked himself into thinking it, then everything would be okay. He waited for a moment to gather his confidence. He wanted to say that he didn't want anyone else to know about it, but couldn't bring himself to open his mouth just yet. 

Akashi waited silently, watching Kuroko in interest. "Go ahead, then." He urged slightly. 

Kuroko nodded. "Right. Well, part of the reason they could be looking for me..." He trailed off, then took a deep breath and started up again. "Is that I'm half demon." His voice was barely above a whisper, but Akashi knew exactly what he had said. "They've... Probably been looking for me for a while, now." 

"I see..." Akashi muttered, sitting back. He wasn't quite sure what to do with this new information. "Tetsuya, is this something you've been hiding for a reason beyond the fact demons aren't all that welcome in society?" 

"Yes." Kuroko nodded, sighing. He paused, thinking of exactly how to word his explanation. "Well, you see... The village I grew up in was full of demons." He started, thinking back on his childhood. "It was a secluded village in the mountainside, and it was relatively difficult to find if you weren't looking for it. It was pretty peaceful there, most of the time." He stopped again, wondering if he should elaborate. 

Akashi was silent, a hand on his chin. The look in his eyes told Kuroko he should probably continue the story. 

"My father was a demon, and my mother was human. It was forbidden, but I don't think they cared. My mother was friends with Kagami-kun's father, who was also human, and I grew up in both worlds." Kuroko sighed. "When I was still very young, my mother's village heard of her affair with a demon and got angry, so they decided to kill everyone and torch the village. I managed to escape with Kagami-kun, but everyone else died." He finished the story with a deep breath. "Or, at least, that's what I thought. Apparently a few others managed to get out as well." 

"Hmm... I see." Akashi nodded. "And since you are a half-blood, your power is that much stronger, is it not?" He asked, and with a nod from Kuroko, pressed on. "I can see why those demons would be looking for you, then." 

Kuroko nodded. "...Right." He paused, then ventured to add a warning. "Now that you know this, they're going to target you too, Akashi-san." 

"I understand that." Akashi replied. "I asked you those questions with that knowledge in mind." 

Kuroko was quiet, then nodded again and yawned. "Alright, if you say so." He stretched a little and moved to lay down. "If that's all you wanted to know, then I'm going to go to sleep." 

"Go ahead," Akashi waved his hand and yawned a little himself. "We will speak on this in the morning." He lay down and closed his eyes. 

"Understood." Kuroko nodded and turned on his side, closing his eyes in hopes of getting to sleep with relative ease even though his mind was racing with everything that had happened that day.


	11. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything settles down for a while. Nothing happens all day. Kuroko begins to worry that something big is coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been like four months since I've updated this story, I'm so sorry!!! ;n;  
> I will honestly try to get this silly thing finished, so I can stop leaving it for months at a time. 
> 
> Still awful with titles and summaries lmao that hasn't changed.

Morning came by much too quickly for Kuroko's liking, and he found himself wishing he hadn't come to Edo for about the millionth time since he got there. He lay on the futon for a while, staring at the low ceiling, before yawning and forcing himself upright. It must have still been early, as the sun was barely peaking through the rice paper window to the right. 'I wonder if everyone else is still asleep...' He stretched a little bit, another yawn escaping his lips. He hadn't felt all that tired when he was speaking with Akashi, perhaps he was more fatigued than he thought?

He sat as he was for a long while, waiting for someone to come yell at him that he was late for something or other, or for Akashi to scold him for sleeping so long, but nothing came. 'Odd...' He frowned, glancing toward the bed. Much to his surprise, Akashi was still sound asleep. Maybe everyone was taking the day off since the fight was so tiring last night. Kuroko convinced himself of that and stood up, deciding to take a quick walk around the courtyard. 

As he left the room and stepped into the courtyard, he could hear someone talking to someone else. Instinctively, he found himself frozen in place for fear of being heard, but he recognized the Himuro's voice. He sounded relatively comfortable, judging by the lack of enunciation and respect he had in his speech pattern, so he figured it was someone he was comfortable around. He decided to take his chances and call out to Himuro--hopefully the person he was with wasn't anyone who could kill him in an instant. "Himuro-san, is that you?" 

"Kuroko-kun?" Himuro paused, looking to the hallway where Kuroko was standing. His surprise quickly melted away, replaced immediately by the sense of peace he had had before Kuroko interrupted him. "You're up early today, what brings you out here?" He waved his hand, motioning for his childhood friend to join him and the other person in the courtyard. "Are you sure Akashi-san won't get angry with you for being out here without telling him?"

"I should be fine, thank you." Kuroko replied, nodding. "It seems Akashi-san has become a little less strict with me." He walked over to where Himuro was sitting and sat beside him. "Are you doing alright? I hear Murasakibara-san is quite the handful." He wasn't sure if Momoi was just joking about Murasakibara being a handful or if it was serious, and he also had no clue what she meant by that, so his concern was quite founded. 

Himuro laughed. "I'm fine, Kuroko-kun." He smiled a bit shaking his head. "Honestly, he just acts like a child all the time. I've basically just become his babysitter so Akashi-san doesn't have to." He waved his hand dismissively. "He insists on calling me 'Muro-chin', though, and he's started calling you 'Kuro-chin', so I guess that's something else." The black haired man shrugged, then turned to Kuroko. "If there's anyone here we should be worried about here, it's you." 

Finally, the man who was sitting beside Himuro spoke up. Kuroko figured he must have dozed off, because he looked pretty out of it. "Seriously though, having to attend Akashi-san? Scary!" It was Takao, who had been assigned to Midorima. "I can't imagine having to share a room with him." He looked at Kuroko, a little concerned. "Is it bad at all?" 

"No, not really," Kuroko shrugged. "If anything, he just has me follow him around or help Momoi-san occasionally. There's not much I do." He thought for a moment. "He was really strict about everything at first, but it's more or less just become me habitually asking to do things rather than him demanding that I do. I think he's starting to get frustrated with me, since I don't do much on my own other than read or help Momoi-san clean and cook." 

Takao laughed a bit. "Really? He must've taken a shine to you, then! Shin-chan told me he doesn't warm up to people nearly as easily as he's warmed up to you." He smiled. "At least you get to go out and do stuff, though. I don't really do a lot, since I don't think Shin-chan wants me to." He laughed again, rubbing his neck. "It does get boring, though, staying here all the time. I mean, Kasamatsu-san's here a lot too, but he's more or less Kise-san's babysitter at this point." 

Himuro and Kuroko nodded their agreement. By then, the sun had risen farther in the sky and was beginning to warm up the courtyard. Kuroko shielded his eyes and looked up at the clear blue sky, sighing just a little bit. "I should probably return to Akashi-san's room, he'll be waking up soon." He said finally, dropping his hand and standing up. "I'll see you two around, then." 

"Bye, Kuroko-kun." Himuro smiled, waving a little bit. "Don't get into trouble." 

Kuroko almost smiled as he left the courtyard and walked down the still cool hallway to Akashi's quarters. He quietly pushed open the door, peeking his head in. Akashi was sitting on the bed, seemingly just after waking up, and turned his attention to the blue haired man standing in the doorway. "There you are, Tetsuya. I was just about to come and find you." 

"I went to the courtyard for some fresh air." Kuroko replied, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "Is there something you needed?" He fixed his hair a little bit, having forgotten to do that when he woke up. He was notorious for his awful bedhead, so he figured it looked pretty messy. 

Akashi shook his head. "No, I was just curious." He stated, running his hand through his bangs and sighing. "You rarely wake up this early, so I was a little surprised to find you had left when I woke up." He seemed to be pretty relaxed, which was odd, since he was almost always stern and cold. "Was anything bothering you?" 

The question took Kuroko off-guard and he blinked. It was rare for Akashi to ask him about himself, and even more rare to ask something so personal. "No, I'm fine. I just needed to go for a walk, that's all." He eventually shook his head, answering the question. "I went out into the courtyard and talked with Himuro-san and Takao-san for a while, since they were out there too." 

"I see." Akashi nodded. "Well, if you don't have anything that's bothering you, I suppose that's fine." He stood, stretching a little bit. "We don't have anything in particular to do today, so you may do as you wish. The only thing I ask is that you help me if I need it." He waved his hand dismissively, yawning.

"Understood." Kuroko nodded and turned to leave. As he left the room, he couldn't help but feel something bad was going to happen sometime during the day, and it was only a matter of time until it did. He wandered aimlessly through the hallways, looking for something to do. 

The day went by slowly, with very few things to be done. Before Kuroko realized it, it was evening. Everyone had done their own thing all day, and only a few people had gone out for patrols. Dinner was eaten and everything was going well. Kuroko and Akashi were sitting in Akashi's room, having a conversation about the day. Kuroko began to voice a concern that has been growing the whole day, "Akashi-san, I'm a little concerned."

"What about, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you so concerned?" 

Kuroko thought for a moment. "Well, it's been quiet since last night at this time... I fear something may be coming." His statement was met with silence, and he looked toward the window. "Something we can't predict is going to come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing style has changed a lot since October, so I hope this doesn't completely offset the whole feel of the story!!


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